Immuno: Autoinflammatory and Autoimmune diseases 1 Flashcards
What is the difference between autoinflammatory and autoimmune disease?
Autoinflammatory = driven by components of the innate immune system
- Not characterised by autoantibodies and HLA associations are usually less strong
Autoimmune = driven by components of the adaptive immune system
- Autoantibodies are found and HLA associations are common
(Breaking of tolerance - aberrant T and B cell response in 1 and 2 lymphoid organs)
Note: mixed pattern diseases involve mutations affecting the innate and adaptive immune system → HLA associations may be present but autoantibodies are NOT usually a feature
Which cells are mainly responsible for:
- Autoinflammatory diseases
- Autoimmune diseases
- Autoinflammatory diseases = macrophages and neutrophils (disease is usually localised)
- Autoimmune diseases = T and B cells
Inherited DNA sequence is not the only factor affecting protein expression, what are the other factors?
- Genetics – Germline mutations affecting DNA sequence - Alteration in DNA that occurs in germ cells (sperm and ova and progenitors) and will be passed on to offspring
- Genetics – Somatic mutations affecting DNA sequence - Alteration in DNA that occurs in a single body cell after conception, does not affect germ cells and so is not inherited
- Epigenetics - (Heritable) change in gene expression
(eg via DNA methylation) - MicroRNA (miRNA) - Small, non-coding, single stranded RNA
targets mRNA and regulate protein production
List examples of monogenic autoinflammatory diseases
Familial Mediterranean Fever
TRAPS
List examples of polygenic autoinflammatory diseases
Crohn’s
UC
Osteoarthritis
Giant cell arteritis
Takayasu’s
List examples of monogenic autoimmune diseases
APECED
IPEX
ALPS
List examples of polygenic autoimmune diseases
Rheumatoid arthritis
Myasthenia
Pernicious anaemia
Graves disease
List examples of mixed pattern diseases
Ankylosing spondylitis
Psoriatic arthritis
Behcet’s
Mutations in which pathways are implicated in monogenic autoinflammatory disease?
Innate immune cell function - abnormal signalling via key cytokine pathways involving TNF-alpha or IL-1
Which protein is upregulated in autoinflammatory diseases caused by gain-of-function mutation in NLRP3?
Cryopyrin (aka NLRP3)
Name 3 diseases that are caused by mutation of NLRP3?
- Muckle Wells syndrome
- Familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome
- Chronic infantile neurological cutaneous articular syndrome/Neonatal Onset Multisystem inflammatory disorder (NOMID)
- These are all autosomal dominant
NOTE: other examples of monogenic autoinflammatory conditions: TNF receptor associated periodic syndrome (TNF receptor mutation), Hyper IgD with periodic fever syndrome (mevalonate kinase mutation)
Which gene mutation causes Familial Mediterranean Fever and which protein does this gene encode?
MEFV gene
Encodes pyrin-marenostrin which is ordinarily a negative regulator of the inflammatory pathway → mutation leads to increased inflammation
Describe how the inflammasome complex functions.
- The pathway is activated by toxins, pathogens and urate crystals
- These act via cyropyrin and ASC (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein) to activate procaspin 1
- Activation of procaspin 1 results in the production of NFkB, IL-1 and apoptosis
- Pyrin-marenostrin is a negative regulator of this pathway
Which mutations can lead to hyperactivity of the inflammasome complex?
- Loss of function of pyrin-marenostrin
- Gain of function of cryopyrin
What is the inheritance pattern of Familial Mediterranean Fever?
Autosomal recessive
Which cells contain pyrin-maronostrin?
Neutrophils
Outline the clinical presentation of Familial Mediterranean Fever.
Periodic fevers lasting 2-4 days associated with:
- Abdominal pain (peritonitis)
- Chest pain (pleurisy, pericarditis)
- Arthritis
- Rash
What is a complication of Familial Mediterranean Fever?
AA amyloidosis
(due to chronic elevation of serum amyloid A)
This can deposit in the kidneys causing nephrotic syndome and renal failure
What are the investigations of Familial Mediterranean Fever?
- High CRP, high Serum Amyloid A (SAA)
- Blood sample to specialist genetics laboratory to identify MEFV mutation